Not The Same Him
by ForgottenLuminescence
Summary: Murata's not the Daikenja anymore and felt that Shinou should be reminded of that. Fluff, non-smut/non-lemon yaoi and drabble. Oneshot.


"You're working too hard again," the golden-haired spirit sighed to his…friend.

Murata was seated on a rather uncomfortable-looking wooden chair, in front of him laid a rickety table, piled with a mountain of old books. Information of the new threat in Shin Makoku was locked away in one of those ancient tomes. And the Great Sage-reincarnation was determined to set it free. The only problem was that he had been browsing, slowly, not leaving out any detail, through every last book in the castle's gigantic library since noon. Now, it's about twenty to forty minutes past midnight.

Needless to say, Shinou didn't like to see him so tired as he stood behind the teen. "My precious sage, I understand your concern for Shin Makoku, but overworking yourself doesn't help, does it?" he added.

Murata smirked a little, recalling the first statement were the words he said to Shinou when he was still the Daikenja. However, his smirk reduced to a mournful frown, upon realization of a certain fact. Without turning around, he said coldly, "Shinou. I am sure you know…that I am no longer the Daikenja you knew."

"And what do you mean by that, my sage?" Shinou smiled coyly. He knew where this conversation was headed. Always did, always will.

The ebony-haired teen put the tome in his hand down on the table and stood up abruptly. He turned to face the grinning spirit. The mournful frown he had on switched to a frown that showed no readable emotions. "Stop calling me that," Murata said, sounding close to begging than commanding. Still, unless someone pays careful attention, they wouldn't even notice.

Well, Shinou had known **_his sage_** over four millenniums, so he's not the 'someone'. He simply grinned more and replied, "Why must I? You _are_, after all, my beloved Daikenja."

That particular sentence earned him a brief glare from Murata, followed by which he sighed and sat back down on the hard wooden chair.

Round 1 in favor of the Original King.

Shinou chuckled softly, walking to his side. To his surprise, he saw that the boy's (charmingly adorable) black eyes turned misty, though the rest of his face betrayed no emotion whatsoever. Oh boy, what has he done or said now?

Murata, nor the Daikenja, had never shown sorrow so openly in his eyes before. Usually, it would be fogged by mass calculations, elaborate plans or just plain humor at a certain expert fencer/housewife's antics(accented by the light reflecting off his glasses). Shinou didn't like it one bit. It made him feel extremely upset, seeing tears in his love's eyes.

Suddenly, Murata stood up briskly once more and exited the library without another word. The action left the spirit staring after him.

* * *

A few hours before dawn, Murata woke up from a dream. A dream from his very first life. The time that he was the Daikenja. And those were the times that _Murata Ken_ dreaded.

Sitting up on his bed, Murata rested his chin on his knees, cushioned by the soft, silky blankets. He refrained from putting on his glasses, which were laying uselessly on the bedside table, finding comfort in the blurred darkness of the bedchamber. His memories were, quite honestly, an abomination to him. Sure, they came in handy sometimes, but…

The boy often wondered if he was Murata Ken, or was he any of his past reincarnations. He didn't even know whether his personality was his, or did it stem from the Daikenja himself.

Tears threatened to escape from his closed eyes. "What do you want…?" Murata questioned, feeling Shinou's presence at his bedside.

The golden-haired spirit sighed and sat beside him, almost feeling the silk of the bed sheets. "My sage…about that earlier--"

"Don't call me that," Murata interrupted. Shinou gasped softly, slightly shocked at how weak and pleading his voice had become.

"I'm not your Daikenja anymore…I can never be your Daikenja again. That part of my existence has long past…" the teen murmured. Sorrow and angst found a way and escaped his heart as tears, flowing down from soulful onyx eyes.

"I'm not _him _anymore…I'm not…"

Shinou smiled, putting his arms around the weeping Murata in a gentle, loving embrace. "Whoever said that I only love you for the Daikenja? Though it _is_ true that I loved him, I had already accepted that there won't be another Daikenja again." he said, his strong voice sounding like a river, smooth and gentle.

Murata's eyes widened and looked up at the warm smile that Shinou gave him. "Now…I love _you_, Murata Ken, as you are."

His tears continued to flow, however, this time, they were no longer tears of sorrow. As he leaned against Shinou's chest, Murata finally felt as if he was himself and not the Daikenja (or any of his past lives, for that matter).

* * *

Shinou grinned, watching the boy who fell asleep and was leaning against his chest. He kept his arms around him, wanting to stay this way until he wakes up.

The small, blissful smile remained on his face. Although Shinou felt that it was quite a shame that those charming black eyes of his were closed, Murata's sleeping face held such serenity that Shinou would probably never see if the teen was awake.

Following that night, Shinou called Murata 'my precious Ken' ever since.

* * *

**Like I said, this is just a drabble. I might delete it...BUT! The ancient romance of the Daikenja and Shinou cannot go overlooked!! XD! (Translation: sixty percent chance that I might NOT delete it) Feel free to review!**


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